Solon seeks probe on Ched’s unspent P1.2-B scholarship fund

Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

A lawmaker representing the youth sector wants the House of Representatives to initiate an investigation on the reported P1.2 billion fund earmarked for college scholarships which remained unspent due to lapses on the part of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched).

READ: P1.2-B fund for poor students unspent–COA

Kabataan Party-list Representative Terry Ridon said that the investigation should look into how Ched handles its student financial assistance program (Stufap).

Ridon, who is a member of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, slammed the commission’s supposed “gross negligence” which resulted in the unspent scholarship fund.

“Congress needs to see whether there has been gross negligence committed by Ched officials that resulted in this deplorable situation. This is important, as the Stufap remains to be one of the highly-funded programs of the said commission,” Ridon said in a statement.

“While many of our students and their families go to extreme lengths just to pay matriculation, here is Ched – awash in government funds yet unable to properly perform its mandate,” he added.

A Commission on Audit report released this week revealed that out of the P5.2 billion appropriated in 2014 for college scholarships, grants-in-aid and study-now, pay-later loans, P1.23 billion remained unspent.

State auditors found several irregularities in the disbursement of the scholarship fund which include unliquidated cash advances and ineffective monitoring, resulting in “internal control weaknesses in the processing and releasing of claims.”

Ridon wants Ched officials to appear before lawmakers next week to explain the issue. IDL

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